There is a range of applications, which are well suited to switches and selector switches when you need to break an electric circuit. The different types are suitable for widely different applications, such as highly demanding applications in harsh outdoor environments and in medical equipment but also for simpler and cost-effective solutions.
Emergency stops are used for machines and robots in industry and in the marine environment. Other examples of instances where emergency stops are necessary are for doors, escalators, transport vehicles, lifts and cranes. Emergency stops are available in many different designs to cope with a wide range of temperatures and environments. They often have a high IP classification, and a minimum of IP65 for “clean” environments and IP69K for the very highest safety level.
PCB-mounted tactile switches or mini buttons with SMT and THT connections, often have extreme feedback, a long service life and a tactile feel. The tactile switches are mounted on PCBs and combined with some type of panel, button pressure, overlay, membrane panel, plunger or keyboard.
Pushbuttons are often used for machines and lifting devices in industry. The buttons may vary in shape and size, have raised plastic buttons, be impact resistant or be made from metal. We have buttons from an installation depth of 9.2 mm for PCB mounting. For applications with a cable connection there are QC variants. A space of 27 mm is then required behind the front casing and it is simply snapped into place without the aid of any tools.
Pull switches are mainly used for lighting and most of all for suspended office lighting. The advantage of a pull switch is that individual luminaires are easier to control. Pull switches are also available in a momentary action variant enabling the lights to be dimmable.
Rocker switches are used for lighting and also frequently as main switches for various machinery in industry. The rocker switch has a less protruding shape than a toggle switch and is also easier to dry off. In industry they often have printed symbols indicating which function they have.
A microswitch is a type of selector switch for installation in specific industrial applications and equipment. They break currents that are large in relation to their size and they are used virtually everywhere where there are high requirements for performance in relation to safety, accuracy and precision.